Brooke Rey knows what it's like to watch a football game and hope there's a doctor in the stands.

Growing up in rural Fairfield, it was an all-familiar reality that if a player went down with an injury, there was a real chance no one outside of a student manager with very basic taping knowledge or a parent who knew CPR would help treat them.

"They are treated by a mom who might be a nurse, or a dad who has experience as an EMT, which is great, but in rural communities as Filer, Buhl and Kimberly, that's who takes care of them. And when it comes down to it, there's so much more to injury prevention and keeping kids healthy that can be done," Rey said. "That's what made me want to be a part of it. We can make this better."

Today, Rey walks the sidelines as the athletic trainer for Canyon Ridge High School. The University of Idaho graduate joined the CRHS staff in the spring of 2010, providing immediate care to athletes when they are injured in practice or during a game or competition.

But there's much more to the profession.

"When you hear a "trainer" you also hear that when you go to Gold's Gym, you get assigned a trainer. When you go to a track to race your horse, you have a horse who has a trainer, so what does that mean?" said Richard Bingham, the athletic trainer for the College of Southern Idaho.

In his seventh year at CSI, Bingham averages 50-60 hours a week from August to May. He is on hand at all of the basketball and volleyball teams' practices, providing preand post-practice care and attends every home game, the first to provide care when an athlete sustains injury. In between games and practices, he works with athletes on injury prevention, stretching, nutrition, hydration and rehab.

Simply put, athletic trainers play a vital role in the development and safety of athletes in the high school and college setting and are instrumental in getting athletes back on the field doing what they love.

Athletic trainers maintain good relationships with the medical community and Rey makes daily contact with Twin Falls' physicians, physical therapists, orthopedic doctors, hygienists and dentists.

"When an athlete is hurt and after the initial care, if I feel it's something over my head, I can talk with a doctor or specialist and the athlete's parents and set them up with an appointment," Rey said. "One of the most invaluable things is, say they get an ankle sprain, they don't have to go to the emergency room and be in a walking boot for six weeks. They start treatment and healing that day. It's decreasing healing time, decreasing their time to return to play and increasing their strength for the future. When the doctor sees them, they're not starting from scratch. They've talked with me and know what happened and the parents can skip the step of seeing their family doctor who will refer them to a specialist."

One advantage of having an athletic trainer at the high school is the regular contact they have with students, seeing them not only in practices and games, but in class or in the hallways or at lunch.

"That's the nice thing that happens when you have an athletic trainer at the high school, you saw what happened the night before and expect to see them at school the next day, so I can let the coach know," said Twin Falls High athletic trainer Allyn Reynolds. "Whereas the coach may take care of it and then who knows what the kid is going to do between now and when the coach is going to see them."

Reynolds, in his 24th year at TFHS, has morphed into the athletic trainer position. Originally hired as a health teacher, Reynolds has slowly garnered the necessary equipment and resources to establish a solid athletic training program at the school.

"I believe our athletic trainer position is as valuable as any position in our school," said Twin Falls Athletic Director Mike Federico. "They provide education to parents, coaches and participants, from preventative measures for injury and positive health habits to treatment of specific sport-related injuries and, most importantly, they keep kids safe."

This fall, Reynolds' football team sustained six concussions and in 2009 that number reached 11. In any given football season, with 120-150 players, a team can expect about 8-12 concussions, Reynolds said.

And knee injuries, ankle sprains, shoulder strains, nicks, cuts and bruises. Athletes' bodies take a beating every day in practices and games. For college athletes, that beating is ratcheted to an entirely new level.

"You're only as good as you're wink of slink, I'm sorry. It's the nature of any sport," Reynolds said. "Don't get mad about it. It's part of the business. Keep it all in perspective. That kid's got a lot of years ahead of him or her."

Said Bingham: "Have you ever gone as intense and as long as you'll do in here? They're here for three hours a day between weights and practice. That's five to six days a week for eight months."

It makes for interesting relationships between trainers and coaches.

The coach has an agenda: win. Having the best players in the lineup makes that much easier, so informing a coach that a star player is going to be out for six weeks can be tough.

"Once coaches realized I was here to help, not to take away from winning or losing, I think we have a good understanding here that we're going to do everything we can once that kid's hurt to get them back playing," Reynolds said. "Plus we look at it, what's he or she going to do for you right now? Sure we can let them run around and limp, but is that what you want? You may get that for three weeks, versus we pull them out, do some treatment, do some rehab, it may only be one week.

"I think once they realize that I want them to be out there, they're OK with me. I'm not the enemy."

Twin Falls, Canyon Ridge and CSI are lucky enough to staff athletic training positions. What about smaller schools in Kimberly, Buhl, Glenns Ferry or Carey? Like most schools in the Magic Valley, they do not have athletic trainers - and in the more rural communities, they don't even have access to clinical athletic trainers.

"I wish we could get some of the smaller schools in this area," Bingham said. "Pocatello and Idaho Falls have got some. The Boise area has done a really good job with their athletic trainers, I know they have a bunch. I know of only five or six athletic trainers from Mountain Home to Pocatello."

The reality is most schools can't afford to pay and staff a person to be "only" the athletic trainer. Rey and Reynolds are also teachers. Reynolds teaches health and a sports medicine class. Rey, who is employed through St. Luke's Elks Rehab, teaches a sports medicine and taping class.

"I don't see legislation creating oodles of money for high schools to pay someone a $31,000 salary, which is a beginning teacher's salary in the state of Idaho, to be just the athletic trainer. That's not happening. It's certainly not happening in this economy," Reynolds said. "But if you have a teacher's certificate and you can teach in certain areas, tag that I'm also an athletic trainer and I'm willing to serve as your high school's athletic trainer, that's what it's going to take to get athletic trainers in high schools."

Until then, Rey plans to continue to improve Canon Ridge's athletic training program and hopefully reach out to surrounding communities.

She'd like to visit Buhl High School for a day to do a clinic on hydration or have Kimberly student-athletes come over to Canyon Ridge for treatments and seminars. Although not required, she travels with the Riverhawks to their closer road games so she can provide care, watch "her team" and assist the other school if they don't have an athletic trainer.

"There's still a long way to go with sports medicine in the Magic Valley," Rey said. "I have parents tell me all the time, ‘It just puts my mind at rest knowing somebody is there.'"

Stephen Meyers may be reached at 208-735-3229 or smeyers@magicvalley.com